LT Newsletter: April 30 2025

Spring 2025 Ultra Update

Ultra Adoption Update

We've added many new courses to Ultra this term! At this time, we have:

1149 courses in Ultra
172 Adjuncts and 38 full-time faculty are only using Ultra

If you're still using Blackboard Original, please contact us to help you make the switch! Fall of 2025 is the final semester for Original--the sooner you transition, the better we'll be able to support you.

Here's a post from Christine Monnier talking about the why it's important to transition your courses before Spring 2026. Ultra Transition: Where Are We?

Ultra Training Update

We've been busy! As of April 4th, we've had a total of 87 sessions with 770 participants. This includes:

51 face-to-face sessions with 362 participants
36 Zoom sessions with 408 participants

Plus an additional 31 asynchronous participants have completed a course on their own!

That's a lot of training but there are still quite a few faculty who haven't signed up! If this includes you, please sign up ASAP for one of our training options or join us in the Ultra Lab for support for working on your own.

Ultra Asynchronous Training
Want to learn about Ultra but can't make it to one of our trainings? You can now register for one of our asynchronous online courses! You can choose from a PDH option or one that offers the same information without the PDH component.

Learn More and Register

Blackboard Ultra Open Lab
Join us to get help using Ultra!

Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3010
Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3010

Or make an appointment to come by our office for support outside of these hours!

There's Still Time for Ultra Spring Training!

Are you ready to get into the "swing" of things? Hit a home run by taking one of our Blackboard Ultra spring training sessions. We'll be covering the fundamentals as well as some more advanced techniques!

Introduction to Blackboard Ultra

This session will cover the Ultra course view layout, ways to make your transition into Ultra easier, and how to prepare to transition by adding content to your Ultra course.

May 7 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010

Converting Your Course to Ultra

Our Converting your Course session will include a guided walkthrough on how to transition your content from Original Course View to Ultra Course view and how to add new content from other sources. You can then take what you have learned and begin transitioning your content into the Ultra Course view. Stick around after the session to ask more questions or get hands on help from Learning Technologies.

May 5 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
May 16 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in SRC 3010

Blackboard Ultra: Building Your Course in Ultra

Whether you are building a brand-new course or are looking to redesign an existing course, this session will include a guided walkthrough on how to build a course optimized for the Ultra Course View. Stick around after the session to ask more questions or get hands on help from Learning Technologies.

May 2 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in SRC 3010

Register for Blackboard Ultra: Building Your Course in Ultra

Blackboard Ultra: Rubrics
Streamline your grading by building rubrics in Blackboard Ultra! Join Learning Technologies to discuss that benefits of using a rubric and learn how to create your own rubric manually or using the AI rubric tool.

May 9 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in SRC 3010

Blackboard Ultra: Gradebook

This session will cover an overview of the Ultra Gradebook and how to set up your Gradebook to ensure that you and your students have a successful course.

April 30 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010
May 12 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
May 14 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010

Registration is now open for those looking to learn more about teaching online this summer! Learning Technologies will be running both the introductory Foundations and the more advanced session this summer! For questions, please contact us at learningtech@cod.edu.

Foundations of Online Teaching: Part One
June 6 - July 6, 2025

This five-week, online course is designed to promote instructor development and enhance instructor engagement whether you are teaching NET, Hybrid, or VCM courses.

Foundations of Online Teaching: Part Two
July 7 - August 10, 2025

Using the OSCQR Rubric, participants will develop their entire course structure and complete at least two units of work. This course will tackle more advanced topics regarding content development and assessment building.

New Learning Tech Blog Posts

Check out the latest blog posts from Christine Monnier: